If you fancy picking up some late summer sale items why not head over to Colenimo? Their S/S13 collection, which is now featured in the archive sale, is inspired by Helen Wills Moody, a famous tennis player from the 1920's and early 30's. The garments include British mill wool/linen suits, pure silk crepe dresses and simple cotton sun dresses made from British men's shirting fabric. My favourites are the backwards sailor tops and the over-dyed shirts coloured with English woad, a natural deep indigo dye. Colenimo is a small London-based company that produces all its clothes in the UK. Founded by Aya Nakagawa, the label strives to evoke a perfect vision of yesterday, creating timeless, elegant clothing in modern shapes with vintage details. If tennis whites aren't your thing, you may prefer the motor racing inspired A/W collection coming soon...
Rennes
I was going to show you an Autumn/Winter collection today, but the weather is pretty amazing in the West Country right now and looking at woolly jumpers doesn't seem appropriate. So let's just enjoy the breezy simplicity of these handmade dresses by Rennes instead. Rennes is a small sewing house based in Boston, Massachusetts. From start to finish Julia Okun drafts, cuts, and sews every piece in the collection, placing attention on small details, unique materials, and quality of craftsmanship. The company is inspired by simplicity and the belief that making an item by hand creates community. I love this idea and Julia's dresses (and bags) are my kind of everyday wear.
Indikidual
Indikidual are one of my favourite new kids' brands. They make relaxed and comfy, organic cotton clothes with cute prints and playful details, which are just the sort of thing children should wear to play in. My favourites are the denim button back Bubble top and yellow banana print harem trousers. I interviewed founder Syreeta Johnson to find out more about the brand.
What inspired you to start Indikidual? When I went back to work after having my daughter Minnie and really struggled to get the balance between my job, Minnie, and my own life so I started to think of alternative solutions. I have always worked in fashion and have been a buyer and designer for women's, men's and kids' wear so I just decided to do what I do but for myself. Now I can work my schedule around family life which is great. I no longer feel like I'm being pulled in all directions! I love creating clothing which is a bit different to your usual kids' wear. When Minnie was born I was shocked that she had such a strong personality from such a young age and I really wanted to create a clothing range that reflected that kids are quirky, funny and unique in their own little way. What are the ideas behind the current collection? The SS13 collection is all about travel, with banana shaped balloons on the babygrows and colourful images of Russian architecture. The all over prints are geometric and colours are monochrome mixed with bold brights. The shapes are mostly unisex and can be mixed and matched to create a range of different looks. What materials do you use and where do you manufacture the pieces? We use 100% Organic Jersey from India. I'm really exited to be adding some organic indigo denim for AW13. What is your favourite thing to do with your kids? Me and Minnie love dancing. We often have a 'disco' in the living room, usually around 5ish when I'm running out of ideas! We pull down the blinds, put Minnie's disco light on and blast some tunes. She loves anything with a good beat, Daft Punk is a big favourite. She's totally mastered the robot by watching their 'Around the World' video! What is your favourite children's book? We love Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. Pippi is such a cool little girl, she does as she pleases, makes up crazy stories and turns everything into an adventure. Do you have any exciting plans for the future? We are just about to start working on the photoshoot for next spring/summers collection which is always exciting. Then we have all the trade shows coming up, this year we will be in London, Paris and Florence. I'm really looking forward to Paris, my sister is coming with me so I will have a partner in crime!
Designers by Themselves
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jaco
I am always excited when a new issue of the World of Interiors arrives on my doorstep and this month's issue didn't disappoint. Slightly unusually for a magazine that prides itself on being beyond passing trends, the December issue is themed around fashion.
As well as showcasing the Tangier town house of Yves Saint Laurent co-founder Pierre Berge and the Welsh farmhouse of Jamie and Jessica Seaton, the founders of Toast, this issue includes a project that explores the lives of fifteen major fashion designers.
In "Designers by Themselves" each designer documents their home in different ways. Pictured above are images from Sarah Burton and Marc Jacobs's contributions. To get the full issue visit www.worldofinteriors.co.uk